Chapter 134 Choosing a Site for the Tree of Life

At this time, the night was already dark.

After seeing off the vassals who came to see him, Lothar returned to the main hall of the Lord's Hall.

There were dozens of candles burning in the hall, which still looked a little dark.

Jeanne, who drank to her heart's content at the banquet, had two red clouds on her cheeks, but her eyes were still clear and bright, and she was drinking from the bottle.

"Ha, what a sweet drink."

"Sir, look how beautiful the moonlight is tonight, and there are fine wines and delicacies. Come and have a drink with me."

Lothar took the wine bottle in her hand and looked at it with some distress: "This bottle is a wine produced in a Bordeaux (Gaul place name) monastery. It is worth ten Suludes gold coins. Including the shipping fee, it will cost at least Triple it, it was a gift from Baron Argonne to me, and I originally wanted to use it to entertain guests."

"I am also a guest."

Jeanne was a little unwilling, and Xu Xu said: "In the past, the church prepared more than a dozen wine cellars for me, which were filled with wines from all over the world. My favorite drink is the one brewed by the Russians from potatoes, which is strong enough. , take one sip, and it feels like running wildly in the ice and snow.”

Lothar sighed softly: "If you like distilled wine, you can prepare a batch of brewing. The excess alcohol can be used to treat the wounds of the soldiers. If you need money, go to the uniform officer and ask for it. I will give you three hundred sulades." The amount of gold coins.”

"Thank you, sir."

He has no idea of ​​​​promoting distilled liquor and forming a new industry with it.

People in this era generally cannot accept high-alcohol alcohol. The alcohol content of ale is generally less than 2%, and it is regarded as a nutritious drink to replenish the body.

Lothar walked up the stairs and came to the study - Leonard didn't need such a thing as a study, it was originally prepared for his tax collector.

He came to the table, took out the ink bottle, dipped his quill in the ink, and began to write a letter.

He planned to send another letter to Count Leopold of Austria.

The funding obtained from him last time included about 500 Surides coins, a boatload of grain, some grain seeds, skilled tailors, blacksmiths, masons and other workers, which still played a significant role in the early development of Yogurtsburg. Small effect.

First of all, of course, thank you.

The second step was to inform him that Baldwin IV had signed an armistice agreement with the pagan king Saladin, and he no longer had to rush to join the Crusade.

The last thing I want to mention is that he has been promoted to the title of Count of Transjordan and his seat is in Hebron. If he comes to make a pilgrimage, he must come here as a guest.

Lothar still hopes to maintain a friendly relationship with Leopold.

Although Lothar was already one of the largest nominal vassals in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, he knew very well that he was still far behind in terms of hard power compared with Leopold, the Austrian border count.

He is now a fat man who has eaten too much. He must first convert all the fat on his body and the food in his stomach into muscles before he can explode with powerful strength.

Another letter was addressed to Werner and his brother Otto.

He remembered that when he left Allgäu, he told his brother Otto that when he returned to Eagle Castle in the future, he would accept his greetings with a more distinguished title.

Now, he has done it.

The Count of Argau has barren land and backward commerce. The gold content of this count title is completely incomparable to Transjordan.

But Count Werner had a lot of talents under his command, which was quite enviable to Lothar, so in this letter, he also expressed the hope that Count Werner could send a few confidants to help.

In the city of Hebron, the waves caused by the arrival of a new lord were like ripples on the water, slowly spreading.

Noon the next day.

Two city guards were sitting in the tavern, drinking wine.

One of them was wearing a full set of chainmail, a lobster helmet, and a robe marked with a double-headed eagle, which made the whole person even more heroic.

If the bartender in the tavern hadn't known these two regulars, he would have thought that they were a noble knight and his attendants.

The companion of the city guard only wore a worn-out leather armor, with a look of deep envy on his face.

"Hey, brother, I'm not surprised that you were chosen by the Sheriff named Model. After all, you were born with a strong physique. But that master gave you this strong armor and sword so easily, and also gave you Once you mark the Golden Eagle flag, aren't you afraid that you will sell it and run away?"

The soldier held the eagle flag in his hand tightly with a solemn expression: "I will not allow you to insult our honor. Even if I pay for my life, I will never lose this eagle flag. You actually think that I will sell it." Lose?"

His companion couldn't help but joked: "Ha, you, a gambling addict, still have honor? Why don't you think you are a noble knight just because you put on new clothes?"

"I'm warning you, don't play this kind of joke on me, I'm not the same person anymore."

The soldier holding the eagle flag looked solemn: "From today on, I will no longer participate in gambling or hang out with prostitutes. Heavenly Father will witness my repentance."

His companion said disapprovingly: "Come on, I don't believe you can control your dice-rolling hand and that thing in your crotch."

street.

A troop of hussars galloped past.

Several pedestrians looked at their backs and pointed.

"Have you seen those feathered cavalry? They are the new patrol officer and his winged cavalry. It is said that in the battle with the pagans, they could easily defeat the slave cavalry with one against ten."

"This Count Lothar is really a powerful man. I heard that he led 800 knights and defeated Saladin's army of 300,000!"

"Three hundred thousand? Why did I hear it was thirty thousand?"

"Of course 300,000! The heathen army was completely vulnerable. They only defeated 30,000 people. How could the Leper King generously reward him with a city?"

"It's a pity that greatness comes from greatness. He stole Earl Leonard's title and territory. Leonard will not let it go."

"Indeed, alas."

There was sympathy in people's voices.

Although for some reason, when they mentioned this lord, they subconsciously had a good impression, but they all agreed that it would not be long before the new lord would be driven away by Leonard.

Ulm and Pepin were talking loudly.

"Pepin, would you like to be a hussar? Just like us."

"certainly!"

"Then we have to go to Yogurtsburg. On the one hand, we will escort Mr. Malus to Hebron. On the other hand, we will also be responsible for selecting a site... Your Excellency wants to build a castle."

"Build a castle? Why would you want to build a castle when you already have Hebron?"

"How do I know what the adults are thinking?"

…

Sego Village.

Mallus squatted on the ground with a solemn expression.

A huge footprint appeared in front of him.

He put his middle finger at the front of the footprints and lowered his entire elbow, probably only filling half of it.

In other words, the footprints of this monster are more than one meter long.

Combined with the traces it left on the ground, this was definitely a giant beast over ten meters in size.

The grieving residents are trying to recover the remains of their relatives, but most of them only have severed limbs and gnawed heads.

A newly recruited wing cavalryman from Yogurtsburg came to him and reported: "Sir, there are no survivors. The perpetrator must be a monster. He... ate everyone."

"It probably didn't come out to look for food because it was hungry. Otherwise, there wouldn't even be any remains."

"This should be a monster that lives under the mine, and it has some kind of magic power that can travel through the soil and rocks."

The conjecture is simple. Because of the width of the mine, even he can't get in and out. It can't accommodate a ten-meter-long monster to get in or out.

"Report this news to your lord immediately!"

Mallus stood up and ordered.

…

In the long desert.

A small group of winged cavalry was standing on a high slope looking at the sea of ​​sand.

People who have been running around all day stop here to rest.

Pepin looked puzzled: "It's hard for me to understand, Ulm, why would you want to build a castle in the desert?"

"There isn't even a pebble here. If it's just to guard the enemies in the south and Sinai Peninsula, the cost would be too high."

"Perhaps it's the same as Montreal, in order to serve as a material transfer center so that we can regain the Port of Ella and Alandre, which are still under the control of the infidels. In short - you naturally have your own ideas, and we don't need to do this. consider."

Ancient trees of life sprout in the desert, which is the most cost-effective thing.

Being able to add an oasis to his territory is equivalent to gaining a new territory for nothing, although a certain amount of money and materials must be invested in the early stage to operate it.

Another point, as Ulm said, he planned to build a military fortress here as an outpost for the future recovery of Port Ella and the Bishopric of Alandre.

These two territories were his legal territories. When Leonard was "dry land sailing" and tried to plunder the two Zoroastrian holy places in Hijaz, he was captured by the Saracens' counterattack.